CHENNAI: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has finalised its plan for the Metro Rail Station that is slated to come up within the airport premises and has presented a budget of Rs 45 crore to the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) for its construction.
The station that has been planned at the existing car park area adjacent the Airport Police Station would now have only one basement.
Its height above ground level would almost be on par with the new under-construction terminals.
While earlier the station was to have three basements to create ample parking space, AAI decided to limit it to one at its latest meeting last month.
“We were looking at over 12 metres below ground level for three basements of which two would be retained by AAI and the third given to Metro rail for two-wheeler parking,” an airport official said.
“However, after soil tests we realised that the hard rock strata that lies below seven-metres depth would require the use of explosives to create the necessary space. The present car park is in the vicinity and there is passenger/public movement across the parking lot. Vacating that area for blasts or cordoning it off would aggravate the parking problem, attracting public criticism. So we decided to stick to only one basement level that would be retained by AAI for car parking,” he added.
The Metro station would have three levels above ground level. “The Metro ground level would be elevated from the actual ground level. Above this would be the concourse level for ticketing facility and some offices. Above the concourse level would be the platform level for trains and then the shell (roof) covering structure.”
“The Metro ground level would link the station with the airport via a connector tube for passengers going into the airport. All the construction would be undertaken by AAI and the cost borne by CMRL, which would do the interiors. The final height of the station would be almost equal to that of the new terminals that are being constructed,” the senior AAI official explained.
The cost of constructing the concourse alone has been estimated at over Rs 10 crore.
CMRL is also contemplating setting up passenger check-in facilities at some of the designated Metro stations.
